Meet Eaglets "Liberty" and "Freedom"
The two are the youngest members of the "First Family" of eagles.
— -- After more than a month, the eaglets born in the nation's capital finally have names. The pair will be called "Liberty" and "Freedom" -- monikers befitting the two youngest members of the "First Family" of eagles.
Until today, the eaglet duo were called "DC2" and "DC3." The public was invited to submit name suggestions using the hashtag #namethenestling. Thousands of submissions were narrowed down to five, which were put to a vote last week.
The winners were announced at press conference today. Representatives from the National Arboretum, the American Eagle Foundation and a number of other organizations were joined by a live eagle named Challenger to share the exciting news. All seemed pleased with the public's interest in the eaglets' growth. There was, however, a small hurdle in the naming process.
"It’s a bit complicated because we don’t know if they’re male or female," Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
Challenger is here courtesy of our friends @EaglesDotOrg pic.twitter.com/5kApPsAHcK
— USDA-ARS (@USDA_ARS) April 26, 2016
Liberty and Freedom were born to "Mr. President" and "The First Lady" in late March at the National Arboretum. Thanks to the DC Eaglecam, the eaglets were celebrities even before their birth. More than 35 million visitors have tuned in to get an "eagle-eye view" of the nest.